Ancient Egyptian script signs for man, illustration. Seen here are Hieroglyphic, Hieratic and Demotic signs for man. Hieroglyphic script is the oldest form of writing, dating back to circa 3,400BC. It was mainly used for formal inscriptions. Hieratic is a cursive form of writing which evolved from Hieroglyphic script. The simplified signs made writing quicker and it was used for everyday purposes such as account keeping and letter writing. Demotic script dates from circa 650BC and is a further simplification of Hieratic script. The Rosetta Stone is inscribed with texts in Greek and two Ancient Egyptian Scripts; Hieroglyphic and Demotic.